Protected Secrets. Heather Woodhaven

laughed, a welcome distraction and a comfort. She probably wouldn’t have laughed if she was seriously injured, but Delaney would make sure she was examined anyway.

      “Francine, I need you to stay back here for a good twenty minutes. When it’s time to leave, tuck your hair up into a ball cap and wear Bruce’s suit jacket.” Delaney turned to ask the man in question. “Do you mind?”

      “It’ll be too big on her, but no, I don’t mind.”

      Francine was a tall woman, equal to Bruce’s height, but she had a slender build. “I know. It won’t be enough to fool anyone at close examination, but if anyone’s watching from a distance, it should at least give them pause.” She pointed at the police officer waiting next to her. “It would help the Marshals a great deal if you’d wait here a bit, then take Francine to the station. I’ll have another deputy meet her there and take her to the hospital to be examined.”

      Francine rolled her eyes. “I told you I’m fine—”

      “I need you back on the team as soon as possible,” Delaney answered. According to Marshal Bradford, Francine was the only deputy who had experience with children. “That means you need to get cleared for duty.”

      “I’d like to apologize in advance.” Bruce stood up, Winnie in his arms, to head over to the stretcher. “I’m not a lightweight man.”

      The paramedic to the left laughed. “Don’t worry. The stretcher pops up and has wheels. Besides, we’ve carried heavier. You ready for your ride, sweetie?”

      Delaney stilled, unable to look away. Was this the right decision? The paramedics joked around with Winnie as Bruce got situated first on the gurney.

      She was up against clever hunters. As soon as word got out that Bruce wasn’t backing out of testifying, the hacking group would be after them again. What would Kurt do? The question popped into her mind easily, as it always did whenever she faced a crisis in her work. Her previous boss and mentor from Coeur d’Alene, Kurt had taught her more than her time in both the police academy and marshal training. He’d showed her when it served best to think outside of the box, to harness empathy and to understand what the enemy would do next to get a jump on them. He also sought God’s wisdom for the big decisions.

      Her throat hurt from the stress. I don’t have time to wait to hear from You, Lord. I’m asking for Your wisdom and if I’m going the wrong way I need a giant “no” from You right about now.

      “Let’s hide, Daddy.” Winnie turned to Delaney and smiled. “You gotta find us.” She grabbed the edge of the thin white blanket and pulled it over herself as she curled up in the crook of Bruce’s arm.

      The paramedics placed a mammoth-sized towel on Bruce’s forehead, effectively covering up his face and hair. It didn’t make him look like Francine, but it might do the trick. Delaney grabbed her US Marshals jacket and placed it on top of him. If anyone was watching, hopefully it would seem another marshal was heading for the ambulance after the attack.

      “Okay, stay real quiet. We’re going on a ride and don’t want Delaney to find us yet,” Bruce said.

      “I think that’s our cue.” The paramedic at the helm kicked off the brakes. Delaney kept her head up as she jogged beside them. No cars were in sight and nobody hid in any of the trees. The houses were spread out and all had curtains or blinds down to help keep out the high-noon heat. But who knew what resources a group of hackers had to watch wherever they wanted? There could be eyes on them right now. The thought sent a shiver up her spine.

      A toddler-shaped lump on Bruce’s side wiggled and giggled. Thankfully they’d reached the back of the ambulance. The paramedics shoved the gurney up the silver ramp into the ambulance.

      Deputy Jim Lewis had a seat on a gray bench with an ice pack on the back of his head. “I don’t know how they got a jump on me.” His eyes implored her to understand. “I’ll be more cautious now, you can count on that. You’re the lead. You can waive procedure and tell me I don’t have to get checked for a knock on the head so I can get back to work.”

      “Not a chance.” She took a seat beside him as the doors closed behind them. “You’re staying right here in this ambulance, because I’m going to need you in a moment.”

      One paramedic sat on the opposite side of the stretcher as the ambulance began to move. Winnie flung down the sheet and popped upright. “Find me.” As fast as she’d appeared, she vanished with giggles. “Daddy, you hide, too.”

      “It’s definitely time for you to find us.” Bruce’s muffled voice came from underneath the sheet that now covered his face.

      Delaney’s chest seized, as if a hard, protective layer around her heart was being ripped apart, one tiny square at a time. The paramedic and Jim watched her with anticipation. She leaned forward and pulled back the blanket to find Winnie’s wide eyes. “Found you,” she said softly.

      Winnie twisted so her face smashed against Bruce’s side, but the little girl’s laughter would not be contained and proved contagious to the other occupants of the ambulance.

      The paramedic beamed and leaned back into his seat. “I tell you what, young lady. We don’t usually have a lot of laughter in the back of this vehicle. Would make my job a lot easier if we did.” He leveled a pointed look at Delaney. “We’re almost to the hospital if you need to arrange a ride.”

      “Of course.” She pulled out her phone. “Jim, I need you to switch places with Bruce.”

      Jim began to object.

      “You’re taking his place as an added precaution, so we can slip away unnoticed. Bruce, put on the marshal’s hat.”

      Bruce sat up and tried to hand Winnie to her. She froze until the little girl reached out her arms. Delaney’s back tensed but she reached forward and took Winnie. It wasn’t a big deal to hold the little girl so the men could switch positions without kicking someone in the head. Logically, she knew that.

      It felt dangerous, though. It was becoming harder and harder not to think about her own daughter out there somewhere. Delaney had a little over fifteen years left before she could ask for the sealed adoption records to be opened.

      “Let’s play hide again,” Winnie said.

      “Maybe after we’re in the hotel, okay?” A hotel wasn’t ideal, as it required a lot more manpower to adequately protect a witness, but she didn’t have another safe house arranged in town. The less they had to travel, the better.

      She dialed the chief deputy’s number and hoped the second team on the way had an extra vehicle for her. Every moment spent in the hospital—the very place where she’d delivered her daughter—would be torture. Even thinking about it, she could smell the phantom aromas of antiseptics and disinfectants. Her scars remembered the tenderness and pain after the emergency surgery. Winnie snuggled closer, and the smell of baby shampoo in her hair shifted Delaney’s focus.

      The chief deputy answered, and she wasted no time outlining her plan to keep Bruce and Winnie safe. She held her head high as she spoke and hoped no one could hear the fear and doubt lacing every word.